A Hutterite, Cowgirl, and Rancher.

Days 27, 28, 29 all the way back in BC I knew that my bike would be beat up by the time I got across alberta. Accordingly, I had called a bike shop in Medicine Hat and made an appointment for repairs. That was part of the reason I pedaled quickly and made my own route across Alberta. Honestly, I figured one dirt road across Alberto was about the same as any other so why follow the gnbr. My ride today brought me back to my gnbr route

After dropping the bike off on Thursday, I took Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off to recover from my first month of riding. I appreciate so many of you asking if I was okay since I hadn’t blogged. I’m sorry for not letting everyone know. In my next rest days, I’ll make sure and give everyone a heads up.

Day 30: 78 miles. 5300 feet elevation. Weather windy

Riding out of the Medicine Hat this morning, I was mildly concerned because the wind was already blowing a good 10 to 15 miles per hour out of the southwest. As long as I was going east, I was in good shape. But I also had to go south. I essentially was stair stepping south and east to the furthest southwest corner of Saskatchewan and the Cypress Hills. Every time I turned South, my speed went to about 5 mph. Regardless, I was moving along reasonably well on gravel roads, and then I hit a dirt section. The mud was so deep that within a few minutes, my bike tire was no longer turning as the entire frame was caked with mud. Now, I was really getting anxious that I would never make it to my destination in time. Thankfully, I was able to scrape enough mud off to get rolling again and got back on some gravel.

No, the blog title isn’t a joke about three people in a bar. It’s a discovery of three people in the middle of nowhere. I’d been peddling for hours and hadn’t seen a soul. Even houses were a rare sight. Then, out of the blue, I see three or four buildings, each of which could have been an Amazon distribution center. At first, I actually thought they were distribution centers, but then I realized there wasn’t anybody ordering Amazon in this area . The population density must be one person per 100 square miles.

Pretty soon, I saw the sign identifying it as a hutterite colony. It seems that at least one group of people, hutterites, I figure out communal living and they’re doing very well. As I pedal past, an older gentleman pulled up in a truck and we had a nice conversation. English was clearly his second language but he was interested in where I’d come from and where I was going. It was clear from his response that he didn’t believe I would make it to my destination of the Cypress Hills Saskatchewan but he smiled politely. I had accomplished goal one.

Not long after leaving the hutterite , I looked down the road and could see a big black spot across it. I couldn’t figure out what it was and was worried it was mud from an experience earlier in the morning. Thankfully, it was just a herd of cattle. It’s only appropriate that before leaving Alberta  I participate in  a cattle drive. This dirt road is actually Highway 515, and it heads into Saskatchewan. As I came down it today, I was stopped by a herd of cattle and three cowgirls. We chatted, and I helped push the doggies down the road, eh? I pick up on the local lingo pretty quickly. Goals 2 and 3 accomplished, although admittedly, they probably could have done it without me.

Cypress Hills

Did you notice my elevation gain today? This is a prairie day for heaven’s sake! But we know that by many small and little hills, great elevation gains are brought to pass. As I climbed up into Cypress Hills for the first of two times today, I came upon a young man by the name of Wyatt Ramsey on a side-by-side. Like everyone else today, he was shocked at my destination and doubtful I would ever make it. After chatting with him, I was even doubtful.

Wyatt is a member of a family that owns somewhere around 20,000 acres on the slopes of the Cypress Hills on which they run some 500 cattle. He was incredibly helpful in looking at my map and making sure it actually showed me how to get to my destination. Unfortunately, he then proceeded to describe some of the roads, which he referred to more as a trail with mud holes and cobblestones. After I had peddled past him, he showed up again with cold water to share and make sure I had enough. Only in Canada.

Despite the mud, the wind, and the naysayers, I was able to reach my destination in Cypress Hills. In doing so, at the left hand turn in the picture above, I also moved into the third province, Saskatchewan. Hopefully, tomorrow’s prairie ride will go a little more smoothly, but it was fun to meet such interesting and helpful people in the middle of nowhere today.